DIY: Facial Mist

For two years, during college, I lived in San Francisco and from time to time,  I would drive across the Bay Bridge to Berkeley and hit all my faves: Blondie's Pizza, Moe's Books and the original Body Shop--I especially LOVED this Body Shop shop because it was the original store and all of the products were so simple, lovely and natural.  Do you know the story of how it all started?...check this out:

In the early 1970s, Anita Roddick (then Anita Perilli) visited a shop in Berkeley, California selling naturally-scented soaps and lotions called The Body Shop. The Berkeley Body Shop run by Peggy Short and Jane Saunders used natural ingredients, and helped to employ and train immigrant women.The Body Shop name was a clever pun, as the original Berkeley store was opened in a converted auto body shop, C.J.’s Old Garage on Telegraph Avenue.

The natural, environmentally-minded and intimate cosmetics shop inspired Anita Roddick to open her own shop back in the UK in 1976. In 1987, Roddick purchased the naming rights from the original Body Shop. From its first launch in the UK in 1976, The Body Shop experienced rapid growth, expanding at a rate of 50 percent annually. Its stock was floated on London's Unlisted Securities Market in April 1984, opening at 95p. After it obtained a full listing on the London Stock Exchange, the stock was given the nickname "The shares that defy gravity," as its price increased by more than 500%.

In March 2006, The Body Shop agreed to a £652.3 million takeover by L'Oréal. It was reported that Anita and Gordon Roddick, who set up The Body Shop 30 years previously, made £130 million from the sale.  (excerpt from wikipedia)

And so The Body Shop went from teeny-tiny to mega-bucks...and their ingredients went from totally natural and pure to kinda/not so much... But I couldn't help myself once, 2 or so years ago, when I had some time to kill at the Baltimore International Airport and I wandered into one of the now--super slick franchises.  Nostalgia drew me in and I was wooed over by all the fancy bottles and pretty smells.  Before I knew it, I had walked out of the store with my purchases.  One in particular, the Vitamin E Face Mist, was my favorite.  I would spray it on after make-up to help set and for a little moisture...I really, really liked it.  Until...I looked at the list of ingredients:


Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Panthenol, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Alchohol Denat., Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, Methylparaben, Lecithin, Rosa Centifolia (Rose) Water, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Propylparaben.

And I thought to myself...wow, this such a bummer!! Why do they have to put all that junk, like parabens & Butylene Glycol, in there--it seemed so antithetical to how the whole thing started..and then I got thinking...hmmm....

What of the ingredient list would I want?

Glycerin: produced when vegetable oils (especially coconut oil and palm kernel oil) are turned into soaps and other products; glycerine is produced as part of the process. Glycerine is a common ingredient in cosmetics, toothpaste, drugs, lubricants and other personal-care products because it is a humectant, meaning it helps your skin retain moisture, and is a common processing element in various industries.
Tocopheryl Acetate: Vitamin E
Panthenol: VItamin B5
Lecithin: Fatty substance derived from the soy bean that is used as an emulsifier.
Rosa Centifolia (Rose) Water
Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil

What would I not want:

Phenoxyethanol: a preservative

Parabens: are a class of chemicals widely used as preservatives in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Parabens are effective preservatives in many types of formulas. These compounds, and their salts, are used primarily for their bactericidal and fungicidal properties. They are becoming increasingly controversial, however, because they have been found in extremely low concentrations in breast cancer tumors (an average of 20 nanograms/g of tissue). [3] Parabens have also displayed the ability to weakly mimic estrogen (a hormone known to play a role in the development of breast cancer).[3] No causal link between parabens and cancer has been established, however.

Butylene Glycol: This chemical is a preservative used to keep skincare and beauty products from spoiling. It’s sometimes used to create a “whipped” appearance to existing products as a marketing ploy or to create more volume in a jar, while reducing the actual amount of product. (In other words, you spend more for less!).
Alchohol: as a cosmetic ingredient, it is used to help emulsify other ingredients because it is a solvent; it has a drying effect.


So basically, my ingredient list would look like this:

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Panthenol, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Alchohol Denat., Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, Methylparaben, Lecithin, Rosa Centifolia (Rose) Water, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Propylparaben.

Ok...how hard would it be to make it myself??

Turns out...not hard at all...I rounded up all the ingredients at the local co-op.

facial mist recipe

1 tablespoon vitamin e oil

2 tablespoons glycerin

1 tablespoon jojoba oil

1 tablespoon aloe vera gel

4 tablespoons rose water

1/2 cup witch hazel

1 cup distilled water

3-6 drops chamomile

6-8 drops rose essential oil

Combine all ingredients in jar with tight lid and shake well.  

Pour into smaller spray bottles.

After shaking bottle (always give it good shake before using...

mist face after make-up, 2-3 times, or for a little refresher during the day. 

 Especially nice if stored in fridge and used in summer time; 

also helps face feel nice and moisturized during dry winter months.

This batch makes a little bit over 2 1/2 cups.  Extra can be stored in refrigerator until ready for use.

Even though, I just kind of made this up and it does smell and feel a little bit like what I bought, I am by no means an expert or even remotely know what I am doing--mainly, its just a bit of dare/challenge to me to see if I can pull something off that I like...and I do like the spray I made very much.  I totally encourage you to try making your own skin care products, but you too should experiment and play around.  It's really fun and this way, your product will be custom-made for you--by you!

Recipe: Granola

At my house, we love home-made granola...its great with yogurt or straight out of the jar. When I realized how easy it was to make, I tried many different recipes--all mostly good, but then I found the easiest recipe of them all--and in my opinion, it happens to be the best.    

Honey-Pecan Granola

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, combine 3 cups old-fashioned oats, 1 1/2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped, 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, 1/3 cup wildflower or orange blossom honey, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt; mix well to coat.  Transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and spread in an even layer. Bake until oats are lightly golden, 30 minutes, stirring half way through.  Let cool completely on sheet. (Store in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to three weeks.)  Makes 4 1/2 cups.

(From Martha Stewart Everyday Food, October 2010.)

I add something different every time, but I always add 1/2 cup finely shredded coconut in with dry ingredients and this particular time, I also added 1/2 cup of pepitas.  But I do mix it up; using walnuts, hazelnuts, cinnamon, ginger, sunflower seeds, etc, etc.  AFTER the granola comes out of the oven and has cooled down, I mix in 3/4 cup dried fruit, like cranberries or raisins--never bake the dried fruit with the oats; they will burn and taste yucky...can you tell I speak from experience?

For my vegan friends, I bet you could absolutely substitute olive oil for the butter and agave syrup for the honey--just use a little less agave.  

Seriously delicious and it takes all of 10 minutes to make...so, so good...but don't take my word for it.  Here are the results from my official granola taste tester...

Signs of Spring

It's almost here....

My daughter and I, while walking the dogs yesterday, were looking for signs of Spring.  We are were off to a great start in the back yard where we found our camilla bush in the midst of bursting forth...

and I have no idea what these little sweet hearts are called, but they sure are little...and sweet...

and then as we walked thru the woods by our house, the signs of spring became less obvious and we really had to look...but we found some nice sleepy heads just about to wake up...

if you click on the photo, you can see it a little bit bigger.

Magda said a good sign of spring are BIRDS especially Robins (bright girl!) but since it was a rainy day, we didn't see any...we figured they were all cozy in their nest keeping dry.

love spring!

Craft: Cute Little Tote

Maybe its because my daughter's lunchbox inexplicably disappeared this week (and she is borrowing my lunch tote till she gets another one) or maybe its because I recently discovered Better Homes & Gardens wonderful craft page OR maybe its because one can never have enough various size totes on hand...whatever the reason, I have been thinking a lot about making some bags lately and here is my first attempt.  Its small; finished size is 8 x10 but its cute and confidence building for making more...I'm excited to try my hand at different styles now.

You can find the pattern here.  The directions were simple and easy to follow.  The Happy Zombie also has a great tutorial here, slightly different pocket set-up but generally same idea.  The Happy Zombie's downloadable/printable instructional pdf is seriously a work of art!!

 I think next time I make it, I might add 10-12 inches to overall dimensions to get bigger bag, but for now--this one is a perfect tote for one's lunch...

namely--mine!

Random: Il Volo--The Flight

Ok, this post isn't crafty, but its definitely falls into the realm of art...
I am kind of crazy about opera; I love it actually. Maybe its because I spent a college semester studying Italian in Florence and I heard it everywhere--literally. I rented a small, not-so-great basement apartment and I would eat my humble pasta dinner on my little balcony that faced into this wonderful, expansive court yard...mine and three other apt buildings formed this square, internal space where kids would play and gardens would grow. The laundry dried from lines that crisscrossed the open space above and mamas called out every so often to their kids playing down below. Neighbors would have lengthy exchanges balcony to balcony and eavesdropping became a great way to practice my language skills. Every night, almost on cue, as the sun would start to set...someone would play a work of opera, full volume, and the glorious music would fill the courtyard, echoing off the building walls (that actually offered some amazing acoustics) and it was like my own private concert. I don't know if it was one designated person or the djs took turns but it was perfect for this american studentessa, sipping her chianti, eating her pasta, basking in the glow. It was amazing. Now, I can hear the same pieces of music over and over and it still gives me chills...

So, I was thrilled when I heard these guys...You have to check out the video below, if even if you don't like opera one bit; you will be impressed! The cutie with the glasses is 17 and the other two sweethearts are 16. Their trio is called Il Volo which in english means the flight. And this is from their first American performance...


If you want to know about them, go here.




If you are interested in hearing some more opera but don't know where to start, here are some of the pieces that I especially love:

The Flower Duet (Lakmé), Léo Delibes




O Mio Bambino Caro, Kiri te Kanawa





Una Furtiva Lagrima, Enrico Caruso


I know lots more so if you are interested in hearing additional selections, just let me know!

DIY: felt flower wreath

It was the day before my daughter's 6th birthday--end of January.  We were having 4 little girls come over for a treasure hunt.  Read more about that here.  The house needed some color--fast.  I don't know where the idea came from--usually I get my inspiration from others, but this came to me in a flash.  A felt flower wreath and I had (almost) all the supplies on hand.  

18 inch straw wreath - I highly recommend the straw wreaths ($4-5) as opposed to the styrofoam ($12)

various fabric remnants

multiple sheets of different colors of felt, including light/med/dark green

tulle

pom poms or buttons

glue gun/sticks

My daughter and I made a bunch of felt flower broaches last spring to send out a little gifts to friends and family and we had some left over.   I looked around for some other designs to mix it up a bit; I think if I had more than 24 hours to put this together, I might have incorporated even more kinds of flowers, but I think it turned out pretty well as-is.

These are great tutorials I used... you can find:

the fabric flowers here by Pink Paper Peppermints

the felt flowers here by Betz White

the dark pink pointsetta type at about 5 o'clock here

(from Martha Stewart, but I cannot find the link now)

I started by making a LOT of flowers, more is better, for this--I did 23.  I then wrapped the wreath with the tulle to give a base for better adhering and to add some interest--but you can't even see it really.  Then, I cut several leaves, free-form, in 3 different greens and placed them all around--facing in and out to mix it up.  I found my handy-dandy glue gun was the perfect tool for the job.  And finally, I just started arranging the flowers: clustering the small ones together, giving the big ones some room.  It was fun; I just played around till it looked right.

that dark blob the lower right-hand corner is our dog, Josie.

It would have greeted our special guests on the outside of the door, except for the freezing rain, snow and wind SO I hung it on the inside where I think it made quite a lovely statement and provided just the color I was looking for.

Pure Love

Kermit the Frog & Jim Henson

This just gets me every time.  I love this photo so, so much.

(Have looked high and low for source to give photographer credit and/or caption but sadly cannot find anything.)